This is how I felt this a.m. when I woke up: Foggy. After having gum graft surgery on Friday (my second go-around with the procedure), I woke up this morning a bit disoriented and hazy. I had a surprisingly hard time falling asleep last night, and was concerned that any teeth grinding might disrupt the new tissue waiting to bind. And I say “surprisingly hard” because I went to a friend’s b-day gathering and stayed up later than the night before.
My periodontist had said to wear my night guard, but I wasn’t sure if that would be enough to prevent damage. My mind was wandering, too. I took some ibuprofen to get rid of the slight ache in my lower jaw and ended up popping a pain pill that did help put me to sleep. Hence, the fog, I suppose.
I watched a great movie yesterday with a wonderful soundtrack: Liberal Arts. The movie is set in both New York and Kenyon College in Ohio (though un-named in the movie), and it’s got a couple of really great quotes, including: “The purpose of fiction is to combat loneliness” (David Foster Wallace) and “Everything is okay,” from none other than Zac Efron, in a (unexpectedly) funny hippie role. The Kaiser Cartel plays a cool tune in the closing credits, and I now need to dig up my CD of theirs that a friend gave to me a few years ago.
Yesterday, I slept in and went downtown to do a little shopping. My initial plan was to walk downtown (45 minutes, but I decided that it would be better later to do a 30-minute walk instead). I got a bit overheated and was concerned that I was fever-ish during the shopping trip, so I made my purchases at the Gap (new work bag, scarf and throwing out the old, worn ones) and headed home.
I have higher hopes for today and plans to walk with a friend. I’ve lost 4 pounds already due to the “soft food only” diet. These were pounds that I really needed to lose, so this is all good stuff.
The sun is coming out, too, and the fog is burning off. Coffee is kicking in, and the Hoosiers are on TV, up on Ohio State at the moment. I feel like I hit another slight and extended bump in the road in my 40 days with this surgery but also know today is another day, and I’ll get done what I’m able to. Everything is okay.
Mary Guiden 